On August 30, 2013,
American Made Movie hits theaters in limited release. According to numerous reports on the movie’s website, this feature-length documentary “explores the decline in this country’s manufacturing workforce,” while heralding the successes of Americans who are surviving global-marketplace odds to manufacture products made in America. The goal of this non-politic snapshot is to “empower people through knowledge in hopes that awareness will lead to action,” according to director/producer
Vincent Vittorio.
Vittorio and co-director
Nathaniel Thomas McGill—both
home-grown products of manufacturing families—believe that “people are behind
products” and set out to show how consumers have the power to fundamentally change the course of our nation’s future as they have in previous generations.
American Made Movie opens in limited release on August 30, 2013. Consult your local listings to see whether it's coming to a theatre near you.
“The truth is that American-made products are really making a comeback and there are areas in every region of the U.S.
that are making great strides in this industry that many thought were lost to overseas competitors,” Vittorio claims.
To understand the mission claimed by Vittorio and McGill, a journey through the annals of U.S.
manufacturing is warranted.
The birth of U.S. manufacturing
The Industrial Revolution delivered life-changing innovation
to the rural American landscape in the nineteenth century. Machines and iron replaced handmade production processes, while water power fueled steam-driven boats, ships, and railways that expertly transported goods. The advent of electricity, communications, textiles, and chemicals changed the course of a growing nation that saw factories popping up as fast as crops.
During the Gilded Age, America surpassed Britain to become world manufacturing leaders. Taking top billing
were coal mining and steel production, which thrived with increased mechanization and railroad and automobile development. And as technology and railways grew, so did American cities. Patents prevailed as companies searched for cheaper ways to create more products made in America. As a result, mass production began to inch out unskilled labor as the fight for global dominance continued. It was then that recession decided to settle in.
The doors of economic renewal flung open again when World War I rolled through. Europeans began buying from the U.S., who poured money into research and technology. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, 3 million people were added to the military and half a million to the government during the four-year war that began in 1914. Manning the plants that produced war
goods were women, who contributed to the nation’s sharp decline in unemployment when young men went off to battle. Suddenly new manufacturing jobs shot up, along
with labor laws to protect this changing workforce that also contributed financially
with the purchase of nylons and other synthetic inventions.
The wall came crashing down
The United States was fueling the world’s growing obsession with automobiles in the early twentieth century. According to a 1929 article in
Popular Science, of the 32,028,500 cars in use worldwide, more than 90 percent were made in America. American auto manufacturers were a dominant force in the international economy.
The road to riches came to a sudden stop, however, when the Great Depression crashed into America’s economic armor. Gone were the glory days of global supremacy when in 1929 the U.S.
stock market collapsed. Replacing it was all-time high unemployment as factories folded, crop prices fell, and construction virtually halted. Countries everywhere shared this economic downfall, which continued for several years as families and businesses fought to survive.
In the ‘30s, President Roosevelt introduced several reforms in an effort to stimulate the economy. Known as the New Deal, programs like the Works Progress Administration did create jobs for the unemployed, and by 1936 economic indicators reached levels not enjoyed since the late 1920s. But by the end of the decade, Roosevelt’s attempts to balance the budget negatively impacted industrial production and
U.S. unemployment once again began to rise.
Soldiering onward
America realized an economic boost when bombs exploded in popularity. By the time the Second World War began in 1941, the U.S.
had invested heavily in the development of weapons, arms, and nuclear research. Joining the fleet of modern armament was aviation technology, which took off during what some experts describe as the beginning of the Atomic Age.
War continued to finance prosperity over the next few decades, starting with returning WW II veterans. The G.I. Bill stimulated an economic revival by offering low-cost loans and mortgages and government-supplemented education. Then the Korean War marched in, bringing additional manufacturing reinforcements and stimuli for returning vets.
The Cold War funded fears of communism taking hold, which had an enormous impact on U.S.
politics and economics. President Eisenhower pulled the reins on government spending to save for potential defense needs and prevent socialism from creeping in. But his successor, John F. Kennedy, rallied rights-minded Americans with promises of a new frontier filled with federal dollars for programs such as space exploration.
Domestic manufacturing took off again, in part to support the Vietnam War that was already underway. So by the time Lyndon Johnson assumed the presidency, corporate profits were at a record high, inflation was stable, and the stock market rebounded—although unemployment remained problematic as modern machines reduced the demand for specialized laborers.
Manufacturing moves out
Richard Nixon was calling the shots at the end of the ‘60s when according to Devin Roundtree in
Collapse of American Manufacturing, 90 percent of goods consumed by U.S.
citizens were made in America. Instead of focusing on price controls, however, this president trimmed federal spending, which caused inflation to climb. Investments in scientific research, military equipment, highways, and competition with the Soviet Union did increase civilian and military jobs as the Vietnam War escalated. But America’s previous war-torn neighbors had recovered, and their commitments to advancing technology were paying off. Europeans started gaining a foothold in global manufacturing with Germany’s focus on cars and machines and Japan’s on electronics, cars, and robotics.
The 1970s delivered a political punch that changed the course of American manufacturing. According to historian Judith Stein, “The U.S.
economy was battered by high oil prices and increased competition from Europe and Japan. But instead of fighting unemployment, the government focused on lowering inflation… As other countries developed industrial policies and aggressively pursued U.S.
markets, sectors such as steel soon found themselves at a disadvantage.” Jimmy Carter’s belief that imports were good and Ronald Regan’s high interest rates attracted an inflow of money, which strengthened the American dollar in the 1980s, says Stein. But when combined
with deep recession at the time, she states that “the expensive dollar really did in manufacturing.”
According to American Made Movie, the U.S.
has lost 8 million manufacturing jobs since 1979.
Things didn’t improve in future years as the shift to a high-tech ideology prevailed. Manufacturing was no longer in vogue, and American foreign trade policies complicated the global marketplace. The growing need for oil to feed and clothe the masses fueled America’s reluctant relationships with the Middle East. To retain the required influx of petroleum, the Bush administrations sought resolve with militarized conflicts.
Coupled with increased dependency on international trade and the outsourcing of jobs overseas—a popular twenty-first century solution in response to union laws, environmental and safety regulations, and minimum wage (according to Roundtree
)—America’s hopes for a manufacturing revival appeared dim… until now, argues filmmakers Vittorio and McGill.
Hope returns to products made in America
Riding the wave of supporting small businesses—an initiative implemented by our current administration—Vittorio and McGill demonstrate that the American Dream is still attainable. In
American Made Movie, the passionate directors feature several businesses that have achieved success “despite the ever-changing global economy.” The featured entrepreneurs found innovative solutions to battle the fragile U.S.
economy by manufacturing American-made goods. Despite all odds, these companies are enjoying
profits that come from consumers with a renewed interest in purchasing products made in America.
In making this movie, Vittorio and McGill confirmed what they suspected all along—that every citizen is critical to helping local and national economies succeed. Vittorio explains that “when you come to understand the people behind the products you buy and how the products you use are made, it will have a greater impact on where your money is spent.”
Both directors feel that U.S.
manufacturers can ride coattails of the movement toward locally grown food fueled by farmers who have renewed a pride of place and craftsmanship. Once consumers are persuaded to pay a little extra for goods made in America., Vittorio and McGill believe the path to healthier manufacturing will grow exponentially.
Want to learn more about American Made Movie? Visit the documentary’s website and consult your local listings to see whether the film is coming to a theater near you.
Specific facts and quotes were cited within this article, which was composed by researching the following resources:
- The Library of Congress
- Wikipedia
- National Bureau of Economic Research
- Pivotal Decade: How the United States Traded Factories for Finance in the Seventies, by Judith Stein
- Collapse of American Manufacturing by Devin D. Roundtree
- Spark Notes
